Instant Pot Pork Roast with Vegetables

Looking for a fast way to cook a small pork roast? Learn how to make Instant Pot Pork Roast with vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onion) and gravy. Makes 1 pound pork loin roast.

Did you grow up eating classic Sunday dinners? Meals like meatloaf, roast beef, pork chops with mushroom gravy, recipes like that.

I did. Can’t say I miss them because my parents weren’t the best cooks. That’s why it’s important I make these recipes as an adult because I can make them taste good (sorry, Mom and Dad).

The problem with these types of comfort food, especially ones involving tough cuts of meat, is they take several hours to cook. Luckily there’s a way to cook them in almost half the time.

You may have heard of an Instant Pot, but do you know what it is? It’s a pressure cooker designed to cook food faster using steam pressure.

Pressure cooking isn’t new to the culinary world, but most home cooks have never used one.

They can be a little daunting because you don’t want to burn yourself on the steam or have the machine explode.

However, you’ll learn quickly once you understand how a pressure cooker works, it’s quite easy.

You can even make Instant Pot Cheesecake in it!

Last year I wrote about Instant Pot Beef Stew for two, which was a hit because not many pressure cooker recipes are scaled down for two people.

You’ve asked for more Instant Pot recipes for two, so I’m back with another classic – Instant Pot Pork Roast with vegetables and gravy.

It’s a 1 pound pork loin roast served with carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and a pan gravy made from the drippings.

I took my small pork roast which I made in the oven and adjusted it for a pressure cooker.

Make it as a comforting Sunday supper or for your Christmas dinner for two.

Why buy an Instant Pot?

One major benefit to a pressure cooker is steam pressure cooks meat faster than the oven.

For example, if you cooked this pork loin roast recipe in the oven, it would take you almost 2 hours until the meat is tender. Cooking your small pork roast in Instant Pot takes about 30 minutes.

The fact I can make a roast faster without sacrificing flavor is quite amazing.

It’s different than a slow cooker because a slow cooker takes about 4-8 hours to cook. If you don’t get your food into the slow cooker on time, you may be eating dinner at midnight.

Plus unlike a slow cooker, you can sear the meat directly in the pot. This means it’ll have more flavor from the browning.

With a slow cooker, most inserts aren’t stovetop proof, so you have to sear the meat in a separate pan then transfer it to the cooker.

Not only is there an extra dish to wash, sometimes you don’t have time if you’re prepping the slow cooker before leaving for work.

Ready to buy one? I have the LUX60V3 6-in-1 use, which you can buy directly from Amazon (affiliate link).

Ingredients For Instant Pot Pork Roast With Vegetables

To make your instant pot pork roast with potatoes and carrots, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Pork loin: Make sure you’re using pork loin, not tenderloin. More on that below.
• Salt and pepper: Used to season the meat.
• Olive oil: Used to brown the meat.
• Broth: Since most places don’t sell pork broth, use chicken broth to complement the meat.
• Onion: Make large slices so they don’t get too mushy after cooking
• Potatoes: I used red, but you can easily use gold or Russet.
• Garlic: Peeled
• Celery and carrot: Cut into 1-inch pieces so they don’t get too soft after cooking
• Rosemary: Pork and rosemary are a traditional pairing, but you can also use thyme
• Cornstarch and water: This slurry will thicken your gravy so it’s not too runny to pour
• Milk: Adds a touch of creaminess to your gravy

What is the difference between pork loin and pork tenderloin?

Nothing is as frustrating as getting to the grocery store then realizing you have to choose between pork loin and pork tenderloin.

Although the names are similar, the cuts are different and not interchangeable.

Pork loin is wide and thick with a fat cap on top while pork tenderloin is long and narrow with limited fat.

Due to the size and amount of fat, pork loin is best for roasting. If you were to roast tenderloin, it would dry out and overcook quickly.

Pork loin roast can be bought either bone-in or boneless. For this recipe, boneless is best because you’ll be slicing it to serve afterwards.

Can I substitute pork shoulder for pork loin?

Although pork shoulder and pork loin are both large pieces, they are not interchangeable due to the amount of fat content; they will cook differently and have different end results.

How To Buy 1 Pound Pork Loin Roast

Most roast pork recipes serve large families. The thing is I’m not a large family. It’s me and sometimes the cat if he steals my food.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to be eating leftover pork all week long.

Sure, I could freeze a few slices, but I don’t have much freezer space (not to mention the accompanying potatoes do not freeze well).

That’s why I developed this recipe using 1 pound of meat. Enough for 1-2 people without drowning in leftovers.

However, the hardest part about cooking for two is buying a small quantity of meat.

Due to cost saving, most grocery stores sell pork roasts in 2-3 pound packages. This is too much meat for one dinner, so you have two options:

1. If your store has a butcher counter, ask them to cut a 1 pound piece.
2. If your store doesn’t have a butcher counter, buy the smallest roast you can then portion and freeze.

This is where a digital food scale comes in handy so you can divide the meat into equal pieces.

My pork loin weighed about 2.25 pounds. I cut the meat into two equal pieces weighing slightly over 1 pound. Although they aren’t perfect 1 pound pieces, they are close enough to make pork roast for two.

Wrap the extra meat in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months.

How To Cook Instant Pot Pork Roast With Vegetables

To make your pork loin roast recipe (Instant Pot), first turn your pressure cooker on to Saute because you want to sear the pork on all 4 sides.

Browning your pork will add another layer of flavor, giving it more depth by caramelizing the surface.

Next, add the broth and scrape any brown bits left behind from the pork. If you skip this step, you may trigger a Burn error.

Add the vegetables and rosemary around the pork. Cover and lock the lid in place then select Meat/Stew to begin the pressure cooking process.

Your timer won’t start right away; this stage is equivalent to preheating your oven. It’ll take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure, depending on how cold your ingredients are.

For example, using room temperature broth means it’ll heat faster than cold broth straight from the fridge.

Once the timer is done, let it sit untouched for 10 minutes for a natural release then move the valve to finish releasing pressure.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board to rest then strain the vegetables. Now you can make gravy with the leftover broth.

How long to cook pork roast in Instant Pot?

It’ll take 65 minutes to cook your Instant Pot pork loin roast with vegetables – 10 minutes to brown, 10 minutes to preheat, 25 minutes to cook, 10 minutes to release, 10 minutes to rest while your make the gravy.

How To Make Instant Pot Gravy

While your pressure cooker pork roast is resting, you can make gravy from drippings in the Instant Pot with the leftover liquid.

After straining the vegetables, pour the liquid back into the pot. Stir together the cornstarch and water then stir into the broth.

Select Saute then bring to a boil. Cook until thickened then taste for salt.

First published January 16, 2020